10 Sports Storylines to Cure Your Football Hangover
Feeling that football hangover on Super Bowl Monday? First, join the club. Second, fear not. There is a cure.
Just because Super Bowl 50 came, went and signified the end of NFL games that count for a while, that doesn't mean the entertainment value of sports will immediately fall off a cliff.
The Golden State Warriors are still playing basketball. Trade rumors abound in the NBA and NHL, and baseball is right around the corner. Here are 10 of the juiciest storylines to keep you from descending into a pit of post-Super Bowl sports despair.
There is but one rule here: no football allowed. (If football were allowed, you'd want to keep an eye on that Peyton Manning offseason HGH investigation.)
Giddyup.
Dubs' Continued Dominance
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Feeling bad about football? Just turn on a Golden State Warriors game. For real—the Bay Area basketball team never ceases to disappoint in terms of entertainment value.
Since the month of February began, Stephen Curry drained 11 three-pointers and scored 51 points against the Washington Wizards, and the Warriors beat a very good Oklahoma City Thunder team, 116-108, in a highly anticipated matchup between Western Conference heavyweights.
As winter fades into spring, keep an eye on this team. It has a legitimate shot at going undefeated at home or at least breaking the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record for longest home win streak.
A 73-win season is also a district possibility for the defending champions, a mark that would put them ahead of those 1995-96 Bulls for winningest team ever.
Pitchers and Catchers Reporting
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Pitchers and catchers report starting Feb. 17. With spring training comes the official start of baseball, and that is exciting for a number of reasons. In addition to roster races on every team, be on the lookout for the following storylines to heat up during February and March:
- Will anyone sign free-agent pitcher Cliff Lee?
- What will Barry Bonds look like in a Miami Marlins uniform?
- Will the offseason's biggest free agents earn their money? (Think, Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price, Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke, etc.)
- Can Dusty Baker get the Washington Nationals on the right track?
- How will the (possibly improved) Chicago Cubs look out of the gate? Good enough to end a 100-plus year World Series drought?
Hack-a-Shaq Debate
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As the second half of the NBA season heats up, so does the debate surrounding the Hack-a-Shaq, intentional-fouling strategy.
Commissioner Adam Silver Silver said on an "NBA A to Z" podcast, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, "I'm increasingly of the view that we will be looking to make some sort of change in that rule this summer."
Silver claims the practice hurts the game's entertainment value, but not everyone agrees it should be outlawed. Notable opponents include Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James.
James said, per Tom Haberstroh of ESPN, "If that's a part of the game and you have a guy that is a bad free throw shooter and you put him on the line, that's a part of strategy. That's no different from a guy that can't shoot well from the outside and you try to make him shoot bad from outside or if a guy is turnover-prone and you put pressure on him."
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Canadiens at the Trade Deadline
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The NHL trade deadline is set for March 2, and the rumor mill is predictably churning.
At the start of the 2015-16 NHL season, the Montreal Canadiens looked to be serious Cup contenders. The situation started to take a turn in October when reigning MVP Carey Price went down with an injury. As of Feb. 7, the Habs are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
The big questions for the Canadiens now are as follows: When will Price be back? And, what kind of help can the team get him at the trade deadline?
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun wrote, "The Habs haven't hung out the 'For Sale' sign but they're listening to offers on UFA forwards Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise along with defenseman Tom Gilbert. If the Habs can't get goalie Carey Price back soon, then those talks will intensify."
Manchester United's Next Manager
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As the Premier League season rolls on, the question of Manchester United's manager continues to be a hot storyline.
Incumbent Louis van Gaal has gotten used to the hot seat as the season in Old Trafford has been less than dominant. After a draw against Chelsea in February, the team's hopes of a top-four league finish are dwindling.
Recently sacked Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has made his rounds of the rumor mill. In fact, according to Miguel Delaney of ESPNFC, Mourinho is "increasingly confident" he will replace van Gaal in 2016-17.
A-Rod Chasing the Babe
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Incredible fact alert: New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez is just 27 home runs shy of tying Babe Ruth's career mark of 714.
He told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post the prospect was "overwhelming," and said, "When you start playing baseball at nine years old, you never think about tying anybody, let alone a guy like Babe Ruth."
The 40-year-old Rodriguez hit 33 homers in 2015, and he has two years left on his Yankees contract.
Given the significance of such a milestone, combined with the otherworldly hype that surrounds pretty much everything A-Rod does, expect this storyline to get lots of traction, even early on in the 2016 MLB season.
Blake Griffin Trade Rumors
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Granted, there are plenty of trade rumors leading up to the Feb. 18 NBA deadline, many of which are worth paying attention to. (Kevin Love, anyone?)
That said, the stories surrounding Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin are particularly enticing because of his little tiff with a team equipment manager in January.
Despite four straight playoff appearances, the Clippers have failed to reach the NBA Finals, and it might be time to shake up the roster. According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, several teams have reached out to the Clips about the injured Griffin, but the team is "reluctant" to trade its 26-year-old young superstar.
Stay tuned.
Year of the Capitals?
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The NHL All-Star break has come and gone, and as the season storms toward the playoffs, games will become even more meaningful and fun to watch.
The Washington Capitals led the league in points (80) as of Super Bowl Sunday and looked poised to (knock on wood) make a real run at their first-ever Stanley Cup victory. According to Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post, their 38 wins through Feb. 7 tied the Caps for most wins through 51 games in the last 70 years.
Alexander Ovechkin scored his 30th goal, and per Steinberg, Kevin Weekes of the NHL Network said, "I don't see another team in the Eastern Conference—right now, based on how they've played—that can beat them in a seven-game series."
NCAA Tournament Picture
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As February rolls on, the picture for college basketball in March will come more clearly into focus. Louisville will definitely not be in the tournament, but the rest of the story is still far from clear.
Dave Ommen of NBC Sports wrote, "Positioning along the top three lines is very much in flux, even if we have a good idea about the contenders. The bubble is no different. Strap on your seat belt; it could be a bumpy ride to the finish."
Indeed. Many teams are outperforming preseason expectations, including Iowa and Texas A&M (both ranked in the Top 10 as of Feb. 7). Missing from the Top 25 altogether are the defending champion Duke Blue Devils. The plot thickens.
Leicester City to Win Premier League?
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Everyone loves an underdog story. If that old sports adage applies to you, stay tuned for the final months of Premier League play.
In 2014-15, Leicester City finished near the bottom of the table, was nearly relegated, in fact. The 2015-16 season has been a far different story for new manager Claudio Ranieri and crew.
As of Super Bowl Sunday, Leicester City had stretched its lead atop the league standings after a dominating win over Manchester City. If it can stay at or near the top for 13 more matches, the team can have a real shot at its first Premier League title, ever.
Alan Shearer of the Sun wrote, "These days, the financial disparity between the big clubs and the smaller ones is greater than ever before. And that is why it would be the best story of all time if Leicester were to go on and win the title."
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